AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / Massachusetts / Boston / John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC
John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC
Filed as JOHN HANCOCK PERSONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES, LLC
John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Boston, MA, registered since 2015, reporting $1 billion to $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 27, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; hourly charges; fixed fees (other than subscription fees).
Where is John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC located?
John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC's principal office is in Boston, MA, according to its Form ADV; the April 2026 filing also lists 6 other offices (Schedule D, Section 1.F).
Is John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC registered with the SEC or a state?
John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2015. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 174433.
How much does John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC manage?
John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC reports $2,198,064,234 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 27, 2026 (100% discretionary).
How have John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC's assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC: Regulatory assets under management: $1,892,195,809 in the October 2021 data and $2,198,064,234 in the October 2026 data, up 16%. Total employees: 157 in October 2021 and 149 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (35,247); high net worth individuals (342).
Which custodians does John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC use?
John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC's most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists John Hancock Trust Company LLC (affiliated with the firm) and Pershing as custodians holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.
Does John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC report any disciplinary disclosures?
Reports 3 disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11: yes answers to 11.D(1) (another regulator's finding of a false statement or omission, or of dishonest, unfair, or unethical conduct), 11.D(2) (another regulator's finding of a violation), and 11.D(4) (another regulator's order in the past ten years). Each question covers the firm and its advisory affiliates, and one event can produce several yes answers. The detail of any item is on the firm's SEC record: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/174433
Does John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC state an account minimum?
Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 27, 2026 says: "The Retirement Advice Service does not require a minimum account balance."
What changed in John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC's recent Form ADV filings?
In the April 2026 filing data: Item 11 disclosure answers changed: 3 yes answers, previously 2 (now yes: 11.D(1)). Employees performing advisory functions went from 11 to 15. Regulatory assets under management went from $1,975,740,842 to $2,198,064,234 (+11%). Added an office in Bureau 207. Added an office in North York. Added an office in Victoria. Updated its list of owners and control persons (Schedule A).
From the Form ADV filing
Every figure below is as the firm filed it with regulators, as of October 2026.
How the firm is compensated
Item 5.E- A percentage of assets under your management
- Hourly charges
- Fixed fees (other than subscription fees)
Item 5.E lists how the firm is compensated for its advice; Items 5.B, 6.A, and 7.A show whether its people or related companies can also earn commissions. Percentage of assets, fixed, hourly, subscription, and performance-based fees come from clients (a performance-based fee depends on investment results); commissions come with a sale or a trade, often from the company behind the product. How fees, commissions, and other arrangements differ
Fees and minimums
Form ADV Part 2AAccount minimum: None
The brochure's wording
The Retirement Advice Service does not require a minimum account balance.
As stated in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 27, 2026. Fees can differ by service and may be negotiable; the brochure is the complete statement. Read the brochure on the SEC's IAPD site
Regulatory assets under management
Item 5.F$2,198,064,234 as of October 2026, filing dated March 27, 2026.
A measure of scale, not skill or returns. Discretionary means the firm decides trades; non-discretionary means clients approve each one. What assets under management means
Who the firm serves
Item 5.DA firm with no individual clients is an institutional manager even if it manages billions; the mix tells you whom the practice is built around.
Advisory services
Item 5.G- Financial planning services
- Portfolio management for individuals and/or small businesses
- Educational seminars/workshops
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 2015 (11 years)
- Employees
- Total: 149. Performing investment advisory functions: 15.
- Wrap fee program participation
- Yes.
- Custodians (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3))
-
Custodians holding 10% or more of the firm's separately managed account assets, as filed on Form ADV (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)). A custodian holds client assets; it does not endorse or supervise the firm. AdvisorCensus has no relationship with any custodian.
- Other offices (Schedule D, Section 1.F)
-
6 other offices, as of the April 2026 filing
- States registered or notice-filed
-
53 states or jurisdictions
SEC-registered investment advisers are examined by the SEC. SEC, state, and exempt registration
Disclosures
Item 113 Reports 3 disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11. View on IAPD.
Questions answered yes on this filing
Regulatory matters Items 11.C to 11.G
- 11.D(1) Has another federal regulator, a state regulator, or a foreign financial regulator ever found that the firm or an advisory affiliate made a false statement or omission, or was dishonest, unfair, or unethical?
- 11.D(2) Has another federal regulator, a state regulator, or a foreign financial regulator ever found that the firm or an advisory affiliate was involved in a violation of investment-related regulations or statutes?
- 11.D(4) In the past ten years, has another federal regulator, a state regulator, or a foreign financial regulator entered an order against the firm or an advisory affiliate in connection with investment-related activity?
Each question covers the firm and its advisory affiliates: its current employees other than clerical staff, its officers, partners, and directors, and anyone who controls the firm or is controlled by it. One event can produce yes answers to several questions. SEC-registered advisers and exempt reporting advisers may leave out events more than ten years old, and may answer 11.A(2) and 11.B(2) for pending charges only. What happened, and who was involved, is on the Disclosure Reporting Pages of the IAPD record. Reading a firm's disclosures
Assets and staff over time
Items 5.A, 5.F| Data period | Assets under management | Employees | Filing dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $2,198,064,234 | 149 | March 27, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $1,975,740,842 | 163 | May 2, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $1,851,515,819 | 149 | September 25, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $1,820,193,718 | 166 | May 25, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $2,172,656,902 | 154 | March 28, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $1,892,195,809 | 157 | September 16, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $1,892,195,809 in the October 2021 data and $2,198,064,234 in the October 2026 data, up 16%.
Total employees: 157 in October 2021 and 149 in October 2026.
As filed in each year's data for the same month. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going; they measure scale, not skill or returns. Most firms update these figures once a year.
Changes in the filing
Last 12 months- April 2026
- Item 11 disclosure answers changed: 3 yes answers, previously 2 (now yes: 11.D(1)).
- Employees performing advisory functions went from 11 to 15.
- Regulatory assets under management went from $1,975,740,842 to $2,198,064,234 (+11%).
- Added an office in Bureau 207.
- Added an office in North York.
- Added an office in Victoria.
- Updated its list of owners and control persons (Schedule A).
Compared month to month from the SEC's monthly adviser data and the state compilation feed. Owners and control persons are summarized, never named.
Websites listed on Form ADV
Item 1.ISource: Form ADV, as of October 2026. Values appear as filed; a value the firm did not report is shown as "Not reported."
Cite this page
AdvisorCensus. John Hancock Personal Financial Services, LLC (CRD 174433): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/john-hancock-personal-financial-services-llc-boston-ma-174433